Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, AU
by theHalfBloodPhoenix
Summary: James and Lily survive the attack of Voldemort on Halloween. Not original,I know. How would Harry's life be different if they were alive?  Previous PenName, Paint Splattered Canvas
1. Voldemort Attacks and its Aftermath

**DISCLAIMER: All characters found in the story belong to JK Rowling. **

_Summary: What if Lily and James weren't killed by Lord Voldemort? What if it was his grandmother who shielded Harry from Voldemort? How would Harry's life be different? Not an original idea, I know, but there are some parts of the books in here. _

CHAPTER 1: The Attack in Godric's Hollow and the Aftermath

_**OCTOBER 31,1981**_

It was a quiet Halloween night. There were no signs of clouds in the sky. The stars were shining brightly. A little cottage located in Godric's Hollow was covered in all sorts of Halloween decorations. It wasn't the only one, though. It seemed that _all _houses had the same decorations as the cottage. Not a single house didn't have decorations. This cottage, had little hedges surrounding it, with a small gate in front. It had black pointy edges which made it clear that entering the lot would be hard, that is, if you were going to do it the Muggle way.

This cottage belonged to Lily and James Potter, and their now one-year-old son, Harry. It was quite small in the interior, which was a good thing since they were a rather small family. Both Lily and James were fresh out of Hogwarts. Both were 21 years old, and full of high spirits. James was training to be an Auror, but Lily, for the time being, was at home, taking care of Harry.

Ever since little Harry was born, James and Lily had a little difficulty in protecting him. Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had told them that they needed to go into hiding. They didn't know the reason why, though. That information Dumbledore had withheld. While settling down in Godric's Hollow, Dumbledore had asked James if he could borrow his Invisibility Cloak.

"I would like to borrow this, that is, if you don't mind," Dumbledore said to James a few days after settling in. James was slightly suspicious about this. _Why would Dumbledore want to look at my Cloak?_, he thought to himself. Dumbledore had his reasons. Reasons in which he didn't want share with James just yet. He gave it to him.

It was on this night that Amelia Potter, James' mum, had visited her son and his family. Charles Potter, her husband, died when James was still 17. Anyway, Amelia wanted to see her first grandson. Amelia has long red hair, almost the same color as Lily's, but with hazel eyes like James's. She was wearing a long dark red robe, which covered over her jeans and sweater. She claimed it was a little cold. She and Lily were at the couch in the living room, spending some time with each other. They had both just put Harry into sleep. Lily sent out a Patronus to James saying that if he was arriving home soon, he should be quiet so as to not wake the baby up. That little feat, the talking Patronus, was invented by Dumbledore. He taught it to all of his Order of the Phoenix members, including Amelia.

Let me explain something before I go back to the story. The Order of the Phoenix was a secret society created by Dumbledore to stop Lord Voldemort aka, You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Notable members of this organization were Amelia, Lily, and James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher, Dorcas Meadowes, Marlene McKinnon, and a lot more.

Back to the story. James was on the way home after a tiring Order mission. He wasn't hurt that bad. Just some bruises and the like. He was certain that Lily was going to fix them. After all, she was really good at healing charms. He arrived at the front door and slowly opened it, careful not to wake Harry, or scared his wife and mum. He slowly walked towards the living room and acknowledged the women in there.

"Hey, Lily. How's little Harry doing?" James asked. Lily had long red hair with bright green eyes. She was wearing a purple sweater, jeans, and a pair of sneakers. James, on the other hand, has unruly jet black hair which can't keep still, no matter how many times he had tried to comb it. He was wearing a black shirt, a brown coat, jeans, and dress shoes. He had just come home after a rigorous Auror training. He was very tired.

"He's sleeping now. He'll be fine." Lily replied. James went over to her and leaned in for a quick kiss. Lily felt much better after that. He seemed to make her better no matter how bad her day was. It wasn't _that _bad, though. It was just tiring, since Harry cried for most of the day. Lily went to the kitchen to prepare for dinner, while James went to the couch to watch some TV. After a few months, he still found it hard to use the Muggle TV. Lily found it funny, seeing him struggle with the remote. After that, he went over to his mum and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

The volume of the TV was quite loud, so both of them didn't hear what was going on outside. Currently, there were 3 people walking over to their house. They were completely oblivious to everything that had been happening. The Muggle news was doing a report on a few mysteriously killed people.

The reported went on about a family of 5 who were killed by unknown reasons (for the Muggles, of course). He showed pictures of the family as well as the crime scene. He mentioned that it was strange that the whole family looked relatively healthy. He didn't understand who or what killed them. Meanwhile, Lord Voldemort, or You-Know-Who to other wizards and witches, was a very powerful Dark Wizard. He was the most powerful one ever since Gellert Grindelwald was defeated by Dumbledore himself. You-Know-Who was after little Harry, for reasons not many people knew. It all started from this little prophecy that Sybil Trelawney, the Divination teacher of Hogwarts had made. You-Know-Who had heard the beginning of it. Not the entire thing, mind you. As of now, he, Mulciber, and Peter Pettigrew (friend of James, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin) were on their way to the Potter home.

Mulciber was a pretty tall man, standing at 5'8. He had dirty blonder hair and blue eyes. Peter Pettigrew was there because he was the Potters' Secret-Keeper. He was a short dumpy man. The only people that knew Peter was the Secret-Keeper were the Death Eaters, Sirius, the Potters, and Dumbledore. No one else knew. They all thought that the Secret-Keeper was Sirius. Peter needed to show You-Know-Who and Mulciber the place where the Potters' lived. They were inches away from the gate now. They all took out their wands.

Inside the house, James had a feeling that something was wrong. He took out his wand, ran over to Lily, and said "Lily! Take Harry and go! It's him! Run! I'll hold him off! Mum! Go with Lily!"

"What about you?" Lily asked, fearful. She didn't want anything to happen to him. She wanted to help him, but she knew he wouldn't let her do that.

"I'll be fine. I will try to locate you when the problem is gone." He replied quickly. He tried to put on a brave face for her, but deep inside, he was scared. Scared of what will happen to his family if they didn't come out safely. He would rather die himself rather than witness either Lily or Harry die. It would trouble him for the rest of his life.

"NO! I want to help you! You can't do this on your own!" Lily exclaimed, as she, James, and Amelia ran up the stairs to Harry's room. He was sleeping quietly, not knowing what is going on. He looked so peaceful, that it was bad if they woke him up. They didn't have any choice right now, though.

"You can't, Lily! I can't bear seeing you in pain!" James cried. It was true. He loved Lily so much. He can't bear any of this. "I love you, Lily" he whispered in her ear. He's not sure whether those were his last words to her.

"I love you too, James. Just know that I always had." They gave each other one last kiss. It lasted for a few seconds. They heard a blast from the outside. There was a ripple of laughter. They both knew at once that that laugh belonged to Mulciber. This angered James. He cursed, gave Lily one last kiss, and headed out. Lily didn't know what she should do. Should she leave with Harry, or fight alongside her husband? This was a difficult choice. She placed Harry in a hidden room in the house, one where no one but the Potters knew about. Not even their Secret-Keeper, Peter, knew about this hidden room.

"Mum! Can you stay here with Harry for a while?" asked Lily frantically.

"What are you going to do?" replied Amelia.

"I'm gonna fight alongside James!" exclaimed Lily. Amelia was both frightened and shocked at what her daughter-in-law said. She wanted to go with her, but she knew how stubborn she was.

"Fine, but do be careful. I don't want anything to happen to the both of you."

She gave Lily a kiss on the cheek and urged her to go already. She smiled and then went to join her husband, who seemed shocked when he saw her coming towards him. "I thought I told you to leave with Harry!" James yelled. This didn't bother her one bit. "I had to help you, you prat!" she yelled in the same tone. "Now is not the time to argue! Mulciber is coming!"

As if on cue, Mulciber blasted the door open. He found both of the Potters there, with their wands out. He laughed hard. "Do you really think that both of you could get me?" he shrieked. "_Crucio!" _he yelled, pointing his wand straight at Lily. She screamed in pain. This was unbearable for James.

"LILY!" How could he just let this happen? Mulciber obviously had no intentions of stopping, especially since Lily was a muggle-born. "_Expelliarmus!" _he yelled. It was not a good spell to do at this time, but it was the first thing that popped into his head.

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR!" Mulciber roared. "_Accio Wand!" _he Summoned the wand, and placed the Cruciatus Curse on James instead. He let out a rather painful yell.

Lily was scared. "Lily! Harry!" James managed to yell, even in the midst of torture. The look on his eyes suggested that he was going to be okay. Lily hesitated, but she went over to Harry. She took him to his room, and set him on his crib. He was screaming and shrieking.

"Shh! It's okay, Harry! No need to cry!" Lily assured him. She, along with Amelia, tried their best to calm him down. Once he did, Lily went back downstairs once more. She saw James fell, who looked like he was dead. He wasn't, though. He was just pretending he was, so that Mulciber would stop. It seemed to work. He let out an evil cackle and worked on to Lily. He didn't even bother to check his pulse because he had a feeling that he did die.

"_Crucio!"_

Lily screamed. "Do you have anything to say, you little Mudblood?" Mulciber whispered.

"Not Harry! Please, not Harry! Kill me, instead! I know you killed James!" Lily screamed.

Mulciber laughed. "Yes, I did kill your husband. I've tortured him until he died. You didn't need to die, you know. I may hate Mudbloods, but you were of no importance right now. All we want is your beloved son. Give him to us." As he said this, Lily felt something. It's a feeling that he was lying. Shee had the feeling that James was still alive. _Nonsense. I heard James scream. There's no way he can still be alive. _She thought. _Ah, but there's a possibility. Don't give up hope on Harry. _She argued with herself.

"NO! I will _never _give Harry to you!" Lily screamed.

Mulciber continued on torturing her, and Peter entered the room. He looked alarmed. He said something in Mulciber's ear. He stopped, and went out of the room. "Peter! Help me! Save Harry!" Lily cried.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I must make a confession. Ever since we left Hogwarts, I worked as a spy for You-Know-Who. I have the Dark Mark," Peter began, showing the Mark on his left arm. Lily widened her eyes. "I've been telling him everything. I've even told him where you went to vacation. Remember last month? You went to Greece? It was I who sent the Death Eaters there. It was a mistake making me your Secret-Keeper. I tried talking to you about making your Secret-Keeper to be Remus, but no! You thought he was the spy! Sadly, you were mistaken! I've played my part well, since who would suspect someone like me?"

"I must do this, Lily. I have no choice. _CRUCIO!" _Peter continued. Lily screamed once again. She fell on the floor, looking lifeless, when in reality, it was the exact opposite. She tried her best to look like she was hit by the Killing Curse. After a few moments, Mulciber came back to the room.

"Well done, Pettigrew! Now, go fetch the Dark Lord. He has to kill the child" Mulciber commanded. _NO! _Lily wanted to scream. Was she doing the right thing? Pretending to die? It didn't help Harry in any way.

Voldemort entered the house and passed James's unmoving body, assuming he was dead. He ignored him and continued on in the house, searching for the child. Eventually, he found the child. In the nursery, silent. "Ah. Here you are," he said "Come to die."

"NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU HARM THIS BABY!" cried out a voice at the left of the 'Dark Lord'.

Voldemort looked around, wondering who owned that voice. Then, something shimmered and then Amelia appeared. Voldemort let out an evil cackle.

"Ah! If it isn't the little grandmummy! Did you come here to see your only grandson dead?" Voldemort sneered.

"You will not harm Harry," repeated the aging woman. She stood in between Voldemort and Harry, shielding the baby from view. "If you want to kill someone tonight, kill me instead. This baby had done nothing to you."

"Very well. Not only will I kill the baby, but you as well," said Voldemort.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _he yelled, aiming his wand at Amelia's chest. The flash of green light was the last thing the woman saw before she fell down to the ground, dead. Downstairs, Lily and James heard everything. They were still on the floor, looking harmed, but they didn't stop the tears that were flowing out from their eyes. Luckily for them, Mulciber didn't see it.

Voldemort then went towards baby Harry. He pointed his wand towards the baby's forehead. The baby's eyes grew wide as he somehow realized what he was going to do.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _there it was. The Killing Curse. A flash of green light, the cottage blew on the side. "What is this? The boy lives! No!" he screamed. Lily lay there, shocked. Also, she had a weird tingling feeling on her body. A feeling that she couldn't explain. _How can a little baby survive the Killing Curse? _Something had happened. No one in the house was sure what. You-Know-Who screamed, and disappeared. Forever? For a few years? No one knew. All they knew was that a baby survived the Killing Curse, with 'dead' parents on the floor. Eventually, Aurors came, and they examined to damage. They went over to where James lay. They assumed they are dead, until James said.

"I'm somewhat fine. Got hit by the Cruciatus Curse," he said, as he ran over to check on Lily. He saw her, and said "Lily? Lily! Please! Are you okay?" The people in the house heard the desperation on his voice. Lily turned, with a very small smile on her face. James breathed a sigh of relief. He saw the Aurors by the door.

They asked Lily what happened after she heard James fall on the floor. "I was placing Harry on the crib, I told Amelia to watch over Harry and went back here to help James. Then I heard Mulciber. He put the Cruciatus Curse on James and I. He placed it on us several times until we both landed on the floor. He stopped and assumed we were dead. Lucky for us he didn't check our pulses. He went outside and called Voldemort and brought him upstairs, to where Amelia and Harry were."

"WHAT? Wait! What happened to my mum?" exclaimed James. Everyone in the room exchanged alarmed looks and dashed over the stairs. They went into the nursery and saw the scene. Amelia was sprawled over the floor, with a pleading expression on her face, as if she asked Voldemort to kill her instead of the baby (which she did).

James and Lily comforted each other, and placed Harry in their arms. They were hugging each other, celebrating and mourning at the same time, since Harry, now nicknamed the Boy Who Lived, had defeated Lord Voldemort, the most powerful Dark Wizard since Grindelwald. A few hours later, the Aurors and the Potters went to Hogwarts to talk to Professor Dumbledore. They didn't need to explain what happened, since of course, Dumbledore knew.

"I know that little Harry has defeated Voldemort," Dumbledore began. Everyone winced as he said his name, but he continued on. "But I suggest you move to another house. There's no guarantee that he won't return. If he does eventually, he will head over to Godric's Hollow, assuming you still live there."

"How could he assume that? He thought we're dead," Lily asked. Why did Voldemort think _that? _He would've thought that they moved Harry to a Muggle home or something.

"No, he didn't. He knew that you were still alive when he entered the house" Dumbledore replied. Once again, everyone was stunned. The same question was going through their minds. Only James had the courage to say it out loud.

"If he knew we were alive, why didn't he attack us?"

"Well, he didn't because Mulciber and another person was there. I'm not sure who the other person was, though. If he attacked then Mulciber would curse in rampage. I think he would want to reprimand Mulciber for failing in the plan."

"I knew who the other person was. I've seen him. He was the one who put the Cruciatus Curse on me after Mulciber did. I think you'll be quite shocked when you knew who it was." Lily spoke up, courage gaining as she said each word. Everyone's attention turned to her now.

"Who was it, Lily?" Kingsley asked, curious. He wasn't the only one, though. Everyone was. Even Dumbledore.

"Peter. Peter Pettigrew" Lily replied. She was right. They were all shocked.

"Impossible! _Peter Pettigrew _work for You-Know-Who? I remember him in my school years. He was a bit of a coward." exclaimed an unknown Auror at the back. "You are quite right," Dumbledore said.

They continued discussing about this, until they realized what time it was. Dumbledore has arranged a house for them at Richardson Village. The Potters went there immediately. A few days later, they held a small funeral for Amelia Potter, the woman who shielded Harry from Voldemort. A grandmother's love is just as strong as a mother's. Everything from then on changed. A lot of Death Eaters had been sent to Azkaban, even Peter Pettigrew since not only was he a Death Eater, but he also killed 13 Muggles within a half-mile radius of him (confirmed by Sirius). When it was on the Daily Prophet that Peter was in Azkaban, Lily and James were very happy.

`•.¸(¨`•.•¸.•´...×..¸.•´ ¸.•*´¨)

_YEARS LATER: _

Harry grew up at Richardson Village, playing games with Ron Weasley, a little boy with red hair and freckles. He was Harry's age and from time to time they went to each other's house. The Potters and the Weasleys met once when they accidentally bumped into each other at Diagon Alley. Other times they were joined by Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers. Percy, Charlie, and Bill were starting Hogwarts as the other children grew up. The youngest and only girl in the family, Ginny, was always excited when she dropped off her brothers at Hogwarts.

These last few years were a happy one for both families. Lily was able to find work, as a trainee Healer at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. James was already an honorary Auror. It was becoming more fun now that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was gone. Harry's childhood was a great one. Once in a while, Lily forced her family to visit Petunia's even though she knew full well that Petunia hated her ever since she got her Hogwarts letter. As expected, the Dursleys hated Harry. All except for Dudley. One night when Harry and Dudley were both 10 years old, the two boys were in Dudley's room, since both of their parents were arguing about something.

"You know, Harry, I've never hated you. I just acted like it to please Mum." Dudley said. He was a very plump boy, who looked twice his age. His mother, Petunia or Lily's sister, was thin, bony, blonde, and horse-faced. Vernon **was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, though he has a large mustache.** Dudley was very much like his father. The resemblance is not hard to miss. Harry was shocked. He thought that the whole family hated him. Well, he was sort of wrong now. Dudley's words were reassuring to him. They sat silent for a while. They heard their parents downstairs arguing over something they're not sure of.

"YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JEALOUS OF ME EVER SINCE I GOT THAT LETTER FROM HOGWARTS!" Lily screamed. The boys jumped. Lily had been known to have quite the temper. Harry hoped he hadn't inherited that trait. His mum was quite scary when she's yelling. Even scarier than dad. Harry and Dudley went out of Dudley's room to hear more. They noticed that Petunia looked a little scared. It's unusual, since Petunia was never the one who got scared. She might the only woman in the family, but she's the bravest one out of the 3 of them.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT!" shrieked Petunia, with a hint of fear in her voice. She wasn't as loud as her sister, and they both knew it. Their husbands were holding them, making sure they didn't have a go at each other. Harry and Dudley sat at the foot of the stairs, wanting to see the action.

Their fight continued on, each comeback more gruesome than the last. Harry and Dudley were caught by James. "Boys! Go to Dudley's room! You might not want to see this!" Before they had a chance to escape however, the women stopped shouting. They turned to their boys, panting from all that shouting.

"How much of that did you hear?" Lily asked in a low voice.

"Ever since you said that mum was jealous of you getting a letter from- what was it?- Pigwarts?" Dudley replied.

"It's Hogwarts, Dudley." James said softly.

"It doesn't matter what name it is! Either way, it was a mistake inviting you here!" Petunia exclaimed. Vernon grunted, and Dudley merely whimpered. He had a feeling that this would be the last time he saw Harry. Those were harsh words. Everyone knew it, even Petunia. She may hate her sister, but those words were too harsh, but she didn't try to apologize for what she said.

"A mistake, is it? Fine. You never get over your old childhood grudges against me anyway." Lily scoffed. This was James and Harry's signal to leave. Harry said a quick goodbye to Dudley, ran over to his parents and they used the Dursleys' fireplace to Floo themselves home. He never even bothered saying goodbye to his aunt and uncle. Not that he needed to. If he did, they would've ignored him, anyway.

"Who does she think she is? Saying she was never jealous! I can see it in her eyes! She even wrote to Dumbledore letting her go to Hogwarts!" Lily said, pacing in the living room. Harry sat on the couch, looking shocked at the last statement, as James went over to comfort his distressed wife.

"Sh. It's okay, Lily. No need to get upset." James said, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. She seemed to be quite happier after that. It was a good thing they ate before coming over. They all knew something like that was about to happen. The truth was, Lily didn't want to go. She only did so because she thought Petunia had already forgotten the hatred she felt. She was wrong. _I should give up right now. Petunia will _never _let go of our childhood grudges. _Lily thought, as she helped Harry to bed. She should forget about this night, for Harry's sake.

Next day, the Potters acted as if last night never happened at all. James was trying to be normal for Lily, and it seemed to be helping. She was over by the stove, cooking eggs and bacon for the 3 of them. James was over by the couch, reading the Daily Prophet. The front page was mostly articles made by Rita Skeeter, one of his most hated writers. He had every right to hate her. Most of her articles were rubbish. She always stretched out the truth, making up things to make people hate what the article was about. Sadly for her, it made people hate _her _instead of the subject of her articles. Harry came down the stairs, greeted his parents, and took his place at the dinner table.

"Hello, mum, dad." Harry said. Lily looked up from her cooking to smile at her son. James stood up from the couch, and gave Lily a kiss on the cheek, and Harry, a hug. He, too, sat at the dinner table just as Lily was finishing preparing their breakfast. It was delicious, as usual. Lily was an excellent cook. Once breakfast is over, James bid goodbye to his family, as he went to work. Hours later, Lily took Harry to the Weasleys since she had to go to work herself. Lily was always worried if she left her 10-year-old son at home, alone. She did that once, and she vowed to herself never to do it again.

_FLASHBACK_

_9-year-old Harry was asleep on the couch when Lily Apparated home and called for Harry. _

_"Harry? Where are you? Let's have a snack!" yelled Lily around the house. A few minutes later and he hadn't replied, she began to worry. She went to the living room and screamed, jerking Harry awake. Harry's foot was covered with some blood. Some of it was on the cloth that Harry placed on it. _

_"HARRY JAMES POTTER! WHAT HAPPENED?" yelled Lily angrily. Harry began to cower in fear. Lily saw this, and calmed down, repeating her question, as she tended to Harry's foot._

_"I-I was a-at the at-attic," stuttered Harry. Lily's eyebrows were raised. Harry rarely stuttered. He stuttered either when he's angry or scared. Maybe he was scared this time. "I was looking for one of your photo albums to look at, when something fell near my foot. It had sharp edges so it cut my skin. It really hurt mum. I never saw what it was. I decided to stop looking and mustered up my strength to lie down on the couch. Then I fell asleep on the couch until you scared me."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just so worried. You could've waited for me to come home. I could've helped you looking for that album. You need to be careful next time, okay? But you will still be punished. You were in the attic even when I told you earlier in the morning not to go in. I'll just cast up your foot and we wait for your father to come home." _

_Harry gulped. He was always afraid when his father was going to give out punishments. There was now a cast on Harry's foot. Lily tended to it professionally, seeing as she worked in St. Mungo's. A few hours later, James came home and saw Harry watching TV with a cast on his foot. He went over to his son immediately, worry etched on his face._

_"Harry, tell me what happened to your foot," demanded James. Harry sighed and retold the story to his father. James looked over at Lily to see if he was lying or not. Lily shook her head. _

_"James, you're gonna have to give out a punishment for this," said Lily. James looked a little disappointed at that. He didn't want to, but he had to in order to be in good terms with his family. He needed to be fair. So, he gave out a rather fair punishment._

_"No Quidditch for a month." Lily nodded her head in approval, and Harry gaped at his father. He never banned Quidditch before! _

_"Alright, fine," pouted Harry, trying to look cute. Lily saw that, and shook her head at James. James, on the other hand, was oblivious to what his wife was doing._

_"Oh, fine. No punishment, but you're not allowed to be alone in the house anymore." sighed James. Lily looked shocked. She sighed as well, but she did however agree that Harry wasn't allowed in the house alone anymore._

_END FLASHBACK_

The Burrow, aka the Weasley home, was always full of people. Harry went over and played with Ron, Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie. They invited Percy, but he always denied, since he would 'study'.

Ginny, the youngest Weasley and the only girl in a few generations, wasn't allowed to play with her brothers. So, she always sat near the clearing behind her home, and watched her brothers and Harry play. She always had this little crush on Harry, ever since she first heard of the You-Know-Who story. She's not doing a good job in hiding it. Whenever she and Harry would be in the same room, she always knocked something over, causing her brothers to snicker. She blushed and was speechless, something that would shock Ron.

"I wonder why she's speechless whenever she's around you. Normally, she would never shut up." Ron told Harry that afternoon, as they were sitting under a tree, relaxing. It was a lovely sunny day. Perfect weather to relax. They were talking mostly about Quidditch, since they had nothing else to talk about. Ron was going on about his team, the Chudley Cannons. Harry doesn't know which team he supported yet. Mostly since he only knows 3 (Chudley Cannons, Holyhead Harpies and Puddlemere United)

At the end of each day for the last 6 months, Lily and James together fetched Harry and took him home. He told his parents about his day and they would be happy for him. On weekends, they went to Diagon Alley (that is, if they don't have anything to do) and ate ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. He ate all sorts of flavors. Like that **one with raspberry sauce and chopped nuts. **He always enjoyed visiting Diagon Alley. He also can't wait until he came here to buy his Hogwarts stuff. They still had 2 weeks to go, after all. While he was waiting for his birthday, Harry woas just be at home, looking bored. His parents tried to make him do things, but sooner or later he found them boring. He became so depressed, that on the day of his birthday, he woke up forgetting all about it. That is, until he woke up and went downstairs for breakfast. Half sleepy, he trudged down towards the dining room. He was very sleepy, until -

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley yelled. He jumped back in surprise, suddenly awake. "It's my birthday today?" he asked. Everyone laughed.

"Nice reaction, Harry. Wondering if it's your birthday. I expected you to jump up and down in excitement" Sirius said with a snicker, earning him a smack in the head by none other than Lily. Everyone else laughed in response. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley helped the Potters in preparing for Harry's party, but not after Harry opens his presents.

"Wow! A broomstick! Thanks, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, holding his new broomstick, a Nimbus 2000.

"Can I try after you, Harry?" Ron said, excitedly. His brothers wanted to try as well.

"Sirius! You should know that first years aren't allowed brooms!" Lily and Molly both said.

"But, mum! I wouldn't bring it to Hogwarts! I'll leave it here!" Harry protested.

"He's right, Lils. He'll leave it here. We'll take good care of it." James reassured her. Lily was still a little miffed, but she reluctantly agreed. He opened a few more presents. He got a jumper from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, chocolates from Ron and his brothers, and a new quill from Ginny. Remus got him a book about Quidditch. It was mostly James who was thanking Remus for Harry's gift. It was an amusing sight to see. He wanted his parents' gift for last.

"Come up, Harry. Your gift from your mum and I is in your room. I must ask you to close your eyes, though." James said, leading Harry, eyes closed, to his room. He was led to the front of table. Harry could tell, since he had his arms in front of him, afraid his father bumped him into a wall. Thankfully, he didn't.

"Okay, Harry. Open your eyes." Harry did as he was told, and gasped. Perched on the table in a cage was a beautiful snow owl. "OH MY GOD!" He yelled loudly. Everyone else was laughing downstairs. They probably heard it. He turned and gave his father a huge hug. He brought his new owl downstairs to show everyone. Naturally, they gasped. They let the owl out and placed herself on Harry's shoulder, being stroked by the people in the room.

"What are you going to call her, Harry?" Fred, or was it George?, asked. Harry wondered at this. He didn't know any good names. He looked around and saw his mum's old school textbook lying on the coffee table. He ran towards it, opened it, and looked for possible names. After turning a few pages, he found the name he liked the best.

"I'm going to call her Hedwig," Harry said proudly. Hedwig hooted in response, seeming to like her new name. Once Harry opened all of his presents, the Weasleys and the Potters all went to the Burrow to prepare for Harry's party. Harry and the boys were trying out Harry's new broom. _Everything was turning out good today. _Harry thought.


	2. Harry's Birthday & After

**A/N: New chapter finally up! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer:  Obviously, the characters don't belong to me, but to the wonderful JK Rowling. :D**

CHAPTER 2: HARRY'S MAGICAL BIRTHDAY AND THE SHOCKING NEWS

Lily, James, and Harry decided to have a party. Alice and Frank Longbottom, two of Lily and James' close friends, asked if they could have a joint party with their son, Neville. Neville was a round-faced boy with black hair. The Potters happily agreed. The Longbottoms came over a few hours early to the party and helped Lily, James, the Weasleys, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin with the decorations. Neville, Ron, Harry, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown, Padma and Parvati Patil were at Harry's room. They played games such as Exploding Snap and Wizards' Chess. When it was 2 o'clock, they made their way outside to begin the party.

Lots of food was eaten, and there was a spectacular fireworks display from none other than Sirius. It displayed Gryffindor colors, for both Harry and Neville. It was a magical day for all. 30 minutes into the party, 2 large barn owls came and dropped a letter for both of them.

"It's probably from relatives wishing us a happy birthday, Neville." Harry said. Neville nodded his head in agreement. Harry looked over his envelope and it said:

**Mr. H. Potter**

**The Room on the Second Floor**

**26 Ottery St. Catchpole**

The envelope looked a little old. As if it was written a decade ago. It had some yellowish hue on it. On the front was a wax seal, with a coat of arms that Harry knew well. Harry gasped as soon as he saw the coat of arms. Neville turned over his envelope, and gasped just like Harry. Both boys recognized this coat of arms. It was the coat of arms for Hogwarts, the school their parents went to. Excited, both of them ran to their parents, who were drinking a cup of tea.

"MUM! DAD! LOOK!" they both said. Instantly, the adults were alarmed. They took a good look at the envelope, and smiled with relief. They both congratulated their sons for getting their Hogwarts letters. Soon after, Harry opened his letter and read its contents:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**

**Dear. Mr. Potter, **

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.**

**Yours sincerely, **

**Minerva McGonagall,**

_**Deputy Headmistress **_

Harry was so happy. He showed his letter to his friends, and they began congratulating him.

"Hey, Harry, there's another piece of parchment. You better read it." Dean said. Harry thanked him for noticing it, and started reading the second paper. It said:

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM**

**First-year students will require:**

**Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear **

**One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.**

**COURSE BOOKS**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

_**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)**_** by Miranda Goshawk**

_**A History of Magic**_** by Bathilda Bagshot**

_**Magical Theory**_** by Adalbert Waffling**

_**A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration **_**by Emeric Switch**

_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi**_** by Phyllida Spore**

_**Magical Draughts and Potions**_** by Arsenius Jigger**

_**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them**_** by Newt Scamander**

_**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection**_** by Quentin Trimble**

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**1 wand**

**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)**

**1 set glass or crystal phials**

**1 telescope**

**1 set brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

"Why is there an emphasis on 'OR'?" Harry wondered. Everyone shrugged. It seemed strange that they would put a large emphasis on 'or'. Maybe someone once tried to bring all three? They continued with the party. More presents were opened. (a Sneakoscope from Ron, chocolates from Lavender, a Broomstick Servicing Kit from both Seamus and Dean, and a Quidditch book from the Patils) The party ended around 9 in the evening. The remaining people were Sirius, Remus, and the Weasleys. They started to clean the mess all of them made. Overall, it was a very memorable birthday.

`•.¸(¨`•.• ¸.•´...×..¸.•´ ¸.•*´¨) ×

The next day, Harry was in the living room of the house. Their living room looked sort of like the Gryffindor common room, since Lily and James were Gryffindors themselves. Their red sofa was in the middle of the room, facing a fireplace. Above the fireplace was a mantle filled with family photos and figurines. Above those was a large flat screen TV. Underneath the couch was a red and gold carpet. Across the room was the kitchen, separated by a small bar filled with all kinds of wine glasses. The bar had brown cabinets and wine racks. In the middle of the kitchen was a small island, where Lily was sitting, drinking coffee. James, on the other hand, was sitting by the bar, drinking coffee and reading the Daily Prophet.

He had nothing else to do but to play with his new gifts. He didn't know what a Sneakoscope was, so he asked his parents what it was.

"Well, Harry, a Sneakoscope is something that tell us if someone or something dangerous is near us." James explained. After checking out the Sneakoscope some more, he opened his Broomstick Servicing Kit and started looking at the various things related to broomstick care. He and James went to the clearing behind their house to ride their brooms. James wanted to give Harry flying lessons. Lily placed a certain intruder charm in her house **(A/N: this charm is made up by me) **to warn if there were unwanted people inside their house. She watched amusedly as her husband and son flew around.

"Hey, mum! Why don't you join us?" Harry yelled.

"No way, Harry! I'm not much of a flyer! Ask James!" she yelled back.

"You are going on a broom whether you like it or not!" James shouted. Lily sighed. It was better to give up now, since they would stop at nothing to make Lily sit on a broom.

"We don't have a spare broom!"

"Oh, yes, we do! I have one! Don't even bother asking how I got it!" James said, coming down to her. Lily crossed her arms and gave a look that made James laugh out loud.

"Are you scared of brooms or something?" he asked her.

"No, I was just thinking about how you could've stolen a broom." Lily replied

"Lilian! I would _never _steal a broom!" James said in mock shock, which earned him a slap on the head.

After a few minutes of begging from both guys, Lily eventually agreed and rode the broom. It was a Comet 260. At first, Lily was a little scared of riding it, and thought she fell off. She was mistaken. After a while, she had a lot of fun riding the broom, and performed a few basic tricks she saw James did during his Quidditch matches at Hogwarts years ago. She was having so much fun, she didn't notice Harry and James looking at her with amused expressions.

"Are you _sure _ that mum's not much of a flyer? She seems to be enjoying herself." Harry stated.

"It's true. I guess she changed. She's even doing a few of my tricks. HEY! I just realized you weren't even scared of being in the air after a few minutes of taking off!" James exclaimed, realizing that Harry didn't look scared (this _was _his first time on a broom, after all.).

"Yeah, that's because flying on the broom makes me feel happy. It's as if my problems go away." Harry said. James smiled. _I have a feeling he would be a great Quidditch player, _he thought to himself.

They have been riding brooms for a few hours. They even had their own Quidditch game. James was Chaser, Lily was Keeper, and Harry was Seeker. Lily had a hard time being Keeper. Harry, on the other hand, was a natural. About 4 minutes after the Snitch was released, Harry caught it. James was about to score when Harry yelled

"I CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" James threw the Quaffle, Lily caught successfully, and they turned their attention to Harry.

"You did? It's barely 4 minutes!" Lily said in shock.

"Yup! It's pretty easy!" Harry said. He was beaming now, proud of himself. Then suddenly he looked self-conscious, since his parents were gaping at him.

"Wow, son! You will definitely make a great Seeker! We're proud of you!" James stated. Harry sighed in relief. He was scared what his parents would think. They played a few more games, until they saw that the sky was darkening a little. They called it quits and went back inside the house to eat dinner. Harry was excited to go to Diagon Alley, but it wasn't Saturday yet, so for the meantime, Harry played with his new broom or watched some TV shows. Once in a while his parents joined him, seeing as they had nothing to do themselves (besides work).

One day, he asked his parents about their days at Hogwarts. The 3 of them were scattered all over the living room and kitchen. Harry lying on the couch, watching the Simpsons on TV, James by the bar reading the Daily Prophet, and Lily by the small chair near the couch, monitoring what her son was watching. Though Harry was watching TV, he was thinking about something else. He had always wondered how his parents had gotten together. He had heard stories from his godfather, Sirius, that his father used to hex and prank people and his mum hated him. When he first heard this, he thought he was joking because his parents were so close, it was hard to think they hated each other in the beginning.

"When did you become an item?" asked Harry. James looked up from the article he was reading with a weird expression on his face. Lily forced her eyes away from the screen just as Homer was doing something Harry wasn't supposed to see. Luckily for her, Harry was looking at his father.

"Well, we didn't start dating until 7th year." Lily said. James nodded, having a faraway look on his face. Harry was shocked.

"_What? _Why did you start at 7th year? You guys are so close it's like you've been dating ever since you met!" Harry exclaimed, causing his parents to laugh at his statement. He looked confused.

"You're wrong on that one, Harry. Before our 7th year, I constantly rejected your father when he asked me out." Lily told Harry. "Mostly because he was randomly hexing people. I still don't get why you did that, James." She continued, turning to her husband.

"So, Sirius' stories were actually true?" Harry asked, and James nodded his head.

"I only did that to impress you, Lily-Flower." James said.

"As much as I hate that you used to randomly hex people, I did admire the fact that you used spells a little advance. Not only that, you would prank a lot of people, especially a certain person," Lily replied, her cheeks turning slightly pink when James used his old nickname for her. It was a while since he last said it. She really missed the way he called her that. James noticed the slight pink in her face. _It's been a while since I last called her that. I have a feeling she missed it. I should probably call her that more. _James thought.

"Dad! Why did you hex people! _You _were the one who told me that hexing people is bad!" Harry exclaimed. At this, Lily raised her eyebrows at her husband. _Had he really said that? I find that ironic, _she thought. This was weird, since James would always look for Snape or any Slytherin and hexed them in front of people from other Houses.

"Well, it is. I just don't want you to make the same mistake I made, but it doesn't stop me from teaching you a few pranks. I also regret pranking that slimy git. " James replied.

"Well, what did you do that made mum fall in love with you since you were always pranking and hexing people?" Harry queried, confused.

"I grew up." James said simply. Harry looked even more confused at that. "What I meant to say was, I matured a lot. The words that your mum told me during 5th year sort of, changed me little by little. It was hard at first, but eventually it became easier." He explained further.

"Oh. Now I get it. That must've made you happy, right Mum?"

"Of course. Watching the guy I liked for a little while grow up a little? It made me like him a little more." Lily replied, blushing a little. She never really told James before that she used to secretly like him, deep down inside. She just hid all that secret feelings for anger at times.

"What? You mean you liked me before 7th year?" James asked in shock. Lily nodded.

"I sort of started liking you in the beginning of 5th year, but then the incident during OWLs happened. I admit, it hurt me that you attacked Snivellus, but I don't think I stopped liking you. It just decreased a little." Lily replied.

"If you liked me, why did you still reject me when I constantly asked you out?"

"Only because you acted like a prat. Other than that, I thought about what would've happened if I actually said 'yes'." Lily answered. James still looked like he was in shock. Harry was gaping at her as well.

"You mean, if I actually matured sooner, you would've said yes?" James asked, incredulous. She nodded her head. James did his best to bite back a curse.

"I knew I should've started growing up during the summer before 6th year," he muttered, shaking his head. Lily laughed at his words, and Harry did the same. He may not understand what his dad meant by that, but it seemed pretty funny.

"Yes, James. You really should've. I'm not sure what would've happened if you grew up sooner." Lily stated.

"Um, who is Snivellus?" Harry asked. James grimaced at the mention of the word, and Lily sighed.

"Snivellus was my best friend. Actually, his name is Severus Snape. Your father always used to hex, prank, tease, and jinx him." Lily replied, with a sort of cold tone.

"Really, Dad? Why?"

"Ah, I think I'll just tell you that soon." James said. _Actually, the reason why I did all those things before was because I was jealous that you were always with that git, _he thought to himself.

"James! You better tell!" Lily glared. James looked away, avoiding her question. She planned to ask this question again once they were alone, since James wasn't looking at her.

"Okay, mum," Harry started, sensing there could be another argument between them soon. "Why did you stop talking to him?"

"It was partially because of your dad." Lily answered.

"That's a little true. Though, I didn't expect him to say it." James called out.

"What happened?" Harry asked, curious.

"Well, he was hexing Snape as usual. I was defending him, but then he called me a...a… _Mudblood"_ she said the last word with a low voice. Harry's eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT? He called you a… You-Know-What?" he exclaimed, and Lily laughed at this. When asked why by Harry, she said,

"James sort of said the same thing. I was mad at him and asked him if he would also call me that. He said, and I quote, 'I'd never call you a You-Know-What'" Lily said, tears forming a little in her eyes. James saw this and went over to his wife and comforted her. Harry, who was not facing his mother, didn't see this.

"Well, did you forgive him for saying that?"

"Hmm. I don't know. After that incident, whenever we would pass by each other he would call me that. It still affects me. Though it sort of helped me realize that he wasn't a good friend to me before. So, I think it's a good thing I called him the same nickname that James, Sirius, and Remus used to call him."

James continued comforting her as she cried silently. She didn't want Harry to see her crying.

"No need to cry, Mum. Also, don't bother denying it. I can tell if you're crying or not." Harry said, slowly walking towards his mum. Lily gave her boys a hug, and thanked them for comforting her.

Suddenly, a loud _BOOM _emitted from outside of the house. Instinctively, James took out his wand and started going towards the door slowly. Lily took out her wand as well, and held Harry close to her.

"This is the police! Come out with your hands up!" a muffled, familiar voice came from the other side of the door. Lily suddenly understood what was going on and tried to warn James. However, James was already by the door. He slowly turned the doorknob, and then it was kicked opened by….. Sirius.

James fell over, looking shocked. Seeing his best mate's reaction, Sirius laughed out loud.

"Hahaha! Mate! You should've seen the look on your face!" Sirius guffawed. Lily and Harry were also laughing out loud. James was muttering curses that only Sirius could hear.

"Well! Glad to know I'm welcomed!" Sirius said with mock sadness. He strode over to Lily, gave her a kiss on the cheek and ruffled Harry's hair.

"What are you doing here, anyways? I don't remember having a guys night," James said as he sat down next to Harry.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to visit my favorite family in the whole entire world!" Sirius said dramatically. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Padfoot!" Harry said.

"Oh! Hey there, Prongslet!"

"Hey! Didn't I tell you all those years ago to _never _call him that?" James exclaimed. He was getting annoyed that Sirius still called Harry that, despite the many times James told him not to.

"You did? I don't remember. Either that, or I wasn't listening." Sirius said, waving his hand like he was swatting a fly away. So, for the entire afternoon, Sirius spent time with the Potters. He was also a little bored, so he called Remus as well. Then, for old time's sake, they hatched up a great prank to play on Harry. They thought it would be _sort of _good practice for him about being pranked. They'll never know, but maybe some Slytherin git would prank him just because he was a Gryffindor. It's better to prank him now than let some random kid do it.

The plan of the 'prank' was simple. Sirius used a charm to make Harry's bedroom key recognize the Potters fingerprint **(A/N: another charm made up)** . If it wasn't Harry who touched it, the key would turn into the key of _their _bedroom. If they removed the key that would be hanging in midair, some smoke would appear and tell them that it's the key of their room. Once they got hold of the key and went to their room, they were going to be splashed with water that was coming from different directions. Just in case it wasn't Harry that touched it, James did the water bit on Harry's and Lily and James' bedroom. Remus, being the smart one, chose to opt out of the plan. He knew how Lily reacted to situations like these. It was better if he wasn't involved in any way.

When the sky darkened a little, Lily noticed something shining outside. She thought it was Harry playing with the Snitch, so she went outside to tell him to come back inside. She opened the door and found a little gold key hanging in midair. Curious, she went over and grabbed it. In its place, smoke appeared and formed the words:

_This key goes to your bedroom. Have fun!_

Lily was slightly suspicious at this. She ran towards her bedroom, but slowly opened the door. Once the door was fully opened and nothing seems to be different, she went inside, then -

_SPLASH!_

The cold water came from nowhere. She was thoroughly soaked. There was muffled laughter coming from downstairs. She stepped aside and muttered a spell that removed the water from the floor of her bedroom. She went downstairs and saw 3 men watching TV, looking innocent. Harry, on the other hand, was on the kitchen table, making a card house. Everything seemed to be quiet…

"WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO?" Lily shrieked, scaring the 4 of them. Neither of them knew that she was already down there, since her footsteps were silent.

"What are you talking about, Lilian?" Sirius said, not turning around and feigned innocence.

"WHY DID YOU SOAK ME IN WATER?" she continued, her voice getting louder. Harry was sure that the Weasleys can hear her screams.

"What are you talking ab- oh." Remus said, as he stood up to calm Lily down. He mock glared at Sirius and James, who were still focused on the show they were watching. "Were you pranking on _Lily? _I thought you guys said it was supposed to be for Harry!"

Harry, who was trying to rebuild his card house since it fell down because of his mother's screams, turned around in shock, his card house destroyed once more. "_What? _Dad! You were trying to prank me?"

"Thanks a lot, Remus." James muttered. Now his family was a little pissed at him. Remus and Sirius understood the situation and quickly Disapparated before Lily attacked either of them.

"Explain. Now." Lily's tone was menacing. Harry was beside her now, arms crossed. James gulped and told them the story.

"Well, you see, Sirius said that he wanted to prank Harry since he was never pranked yet," James started and Harry's eyes widened. "He charmed our room key to make it shine like the Golden Snitch, since he knows that Harry likes playing with it. He made the key recognize each of our fingerprints." At the last sentence, Lily's eyes widened. That particular kind of charm was very hard. Even _she, _the top in Charms during her school years, couldn't do that kind of charm. _I might want to ask Sirius how he did that, _Lily thought to herself.

"Apparently, Harry was in his room, but Sirius swore he saw someone approach the key, since he can see the smoke forming the words. He heard the door close, but then he saw Harry making card houses at the dinner table. He asked me if I saw Harry outside and I said no. Remus said that it was you, Lily, and Sirius started freaking out. It was hilarious." James continued. Lily cracked a small smile, and Harry dropped his arms. "He tried to go upstairs but he stopped, saying that he wants to know what your reaction will be. So, that's basically it."

"I must say, Sirius is a good actor!" Harry said. James gave him a high-five while Lily shook her head.

"I will tell you this though, it wasn't a flashy as the ones you did when we were still at Hogwarts. Jamsie are you loosing your touch?" Lily asked playfully. James looked shocked at that. Harry was looking at both of them.

"_What?" _James demanded. "I lost my touch? Well, I do suppose that is a little true. It's been years since our last prank. I do promise that my next one will be as awesome as the Hogwarts ones."

"Sure. Whatever you say, dear." Lily said. "Hmm. Fine, I'll let this slide, but if something like this EVER happens again within the near or distant future, you will suffer my wrath," Lily said, half mencaingly, half jokingly. She burst into laughter when she saw James' expression. He looked so scared! Lily already forgave James for this. She went over and kissed him, causing Harry to gag. They pulled apart and laughed. Lily quickly did a spell to dry herself and they got ready for dinner.

**A/N: Another chapter finished! Look out for the next one soon!**


	3. A Visit to Diagon Alley

(A/N: I have this feeling there are some people who don't read the Author's Notes at times, [I admit I don't] so, for the people who _do _read the ANs, let me apologize for not updating sooner since school just started last week. [not saying what grade/year I am now]. All I can say is that the homeworks are stressful. Anyways, I hope you like the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW! I'll try to update as soon as I can, okay? [but I make no promises on that])

NOW, ON TO THE STORY!

Overall it was a good birthday. Harry was quite pleased at that. Two weeks had passed since his birthday.

`•.¸(¨`•.• ¸.•´...×..¸.•´ ¸.•*´¨) ×

The next day, Harry woke up at 6AM, since he was very excited to go to Diagon Alley. He took a shower, and dressed quickly.. Then, at 8, he went downstairs. He looked at the clock. _Mum and Dad were probably still sleeping. _Harry thought, as he sat the couch and turned on the television.

His parents woke up to the sound of loud laughter 30 minutes later. James quickly got up and went downstairs with his wand, checking out what was going on. He was in the state of panic, but immediately calmed down when he saw his son rolling with laughter on the floor.

"What were you watching, Harry?" James asked, raising his eyebrows at his son sprawled all over the floor.

"Just For Laughs. It's this Muggle show where Muggles prank each other. Come, watch with me. It might give you ideas."

James' ears perked up to the sound of 'prank each other'. He joined Harry, watched a couple of pranks, and was soon laughing as hard as Harry. Their reactions were so funny, it made the prank even better. Lily, however, shook her head, as she saw them laughing on the floor. Of course, she knew about this show, and introduced it to Harry. _I really regret showing Harry that show. Now he showed it to James, and now James will have tons of pranking ideas, _thought Lily.

"All right, boys. Enough watching pranks. It's time for breakfast." Lily said as she quickly cooked their breakfast, which consisted of eggs and bacon with French toast. They both quickly ate their breakfast so that they could return to the TV again. Lily nagged each of them to take a shower.

"Mum, I already showered a few minutes ago. Plus, I'm already dressed. It's dad's turn." Harry said. Lily saw that he _did _shower already and he was off the hook. James, on the other hand, was told by Lily several times. She even threatened to cut off the cable. James quickly understood that (since Lily already explained to him what cable was) and showered.

"I like it when I win," she said to herself. Harry overheard this and laughed. She took a shower in the other bathroom (their house has 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, an attic, a rec room, a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, with 4 floors)

30 minutes have passed and the Potters were ready. They used the Floo powder to get to the Leaky Cauldron, since Harry can't Apparate yet. Once they arrived, Harry had a good chance to look around.

Lily said it was a famous place. Harry thought it was a little dirty and sad-looking. It wasn't really decorated with bright colors, giving it a depressing saw Hagrid sitting on a table near the counter, looking through assorted letters. He looked up as the fireplace glowed a green fire and went over to greet the Potters.

"Hello, James. Lily. Buyin' Harry's Hogwarts things?" Hagrid greeted cheerfully. James and Lily nodded, relieved to see Hagrid there. Both of them quickly introduced Harry to Hagrid, who has never seen him before. Harry noticed that Hagrid was a very tall man when he stood up. Almost like a giant.

Tom, the barman, went over to the table and asked if they all wanted something

"Can't, Tom, we're here helping Harry buy his school supplies." James replied.

The bartender seemed to look shock at James' words. He peered over to Harry and saw the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. "Is this - _Harry Potter?_"

Everyone in the pub immediately stopped what they were doing and looked over at the family. It was so silent, that Harry heard a pin drop on the floor. Everyone then went over to Harry and shook both of his hands and introduced themselves.

"And so begins the people wanting to look at Harry." James quietly enough that only Lily could hear.

"Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry Potter," Tom enthusiastically said. More people came up. Some, who had just walked through the door, went over to the crowd to see what was going on. When they noticed the person in the middle of all of them, they did the exact same thing.

_I don't know why people are acting this way right now, _Harry thought. _I've been to Diagon Alley a few times. Maybe it's because I haven't been to the Leaky Cauldron yet?_

More and more people came, much to Harry's dismay. He walked on by and noticed a trembling man with a purple turban on his head. He stood near the counter, as if he was scared of being in the crowd. He introduced himself as Professor Quirinus Quirrell. Lily was contemplating how she knew that name. She tried to remember every first year named she remembered from the Sorting every year. Finally, something clicked, as she remembered what happened during Sorting in her 4th year.

"James, do you remember Quirinus Quirrell?" she asked, as she pulled out a chair to sit across from James. James thought about it, and laughed out loud.

"You bet I do! I remember when he was being Sorted. It was one of the funniest! He spent about 5 mintues _loudly _saying that he doesn't want to be in Slytherin. The entire table was looking furious at him! When the hat said Ravenclaw, he shrugged and said, and I quote, 'Oh well, at least I get to be with nerds than be in Slytherin'. Oh, Lord, now the two tables were glaring at him! I don't think he even noticed!" James replied. Lily was laughing as well, but she was also a little shocked, since James remembered _exactly _what the guy said all those years ago.

"Wow. You still remembered what he said? That was, in like, 4th year or something!" Lily said in wonder.

"Well, my memory for the funny things is very good, Lily-Flower," said James, using Lily's old nickname again.

They were casually waiting until everyone was done shaking hands with their son. It was a bit annoying, really.

"Told yeh, didn't I? Yeh're famous, Harry! Even Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh," Hagrid said.

"You know, Hagrid, James and I sort of knew that man," Lily said.

"Oh? And how did yeh know 'im?" asked Hagrid.

"Don't you remember? He was that bloke that insulted both Slytherin and Ravenclaw during the Sorting?" James replied. To this, Harry laughed out loud.

"Oh, yeah! Now I remember! That was one o' the worst Sortings." Hagrid chuckled.

"What happened, mum?" Harry asked and Lily explained. He was still laughing out loud once she finished.

They went to the back of the bar, and went inside a small room. All that was in the room was a few trash cans and a bare wall. Hagrid offered to open the brick wall for James and Lily, mostly because James never tried to go to Diagon Alley using the Undergound, and Lily wasn't paying attention when Professor McGonagall did the same thing before she started Hogwarts.

A few seconds later, the wall began to move, forming an archway. On the other side of the archway was Diagon Alley. One of Harry's now favorite places. They went through the familiar road and was in front of Gringotts, the wizard bank. Hagrid told them that he was going to go there, as well.

"Will you take something from a vault, Hagrid?" said Harry as he, Lily, and James headed over the Gringotts.

"Yeh, I sure am, Harry," said Hagrid.

James told Harry that those were goblins. They walked past a door with a poem that read:

(A/N: Yeah, for those with a copy of the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, you can look at the words there. I don't want to put them here.)

Once they reached a counter, they had a short, polite conversation with a goblin. After a few minutes, the goblin asked for their vault keys.

"I've got it," James said, as he looked around in his pockets for the key. Finally, he produced a tiny golden key. The goblin looked at it closely.

"That seems to be in order."

Hagrid also gave the goblin a letter from Dumbledore, saying it's the "You-Know-What" in vault 713. At this, the Potters looked curious and intrigued. What is it that's being kept in vault seven hundred and thirteen? Gold? An important historical artifact?

The goblin read the letter carefully.

"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid. "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"

James looked happy at this, since his family had always been close to Griphook. Only James and Griphook knew this, though. Not even Lily nor Harry knew that the Potters had always been close to Griphook and his ancestors.

Griphook gave a certain look towards James which he understood completely. James nodded his head, and Lily looked a little confused. The four of them and Griphook went through another set of doors once more. Griphook whistled as loudly as he can and two carts came up to there were 3 people, one goblin, and a half-giant, they had to take two carts. One with the Potters, and one with Hagrid only. Once Hagrid went inside his cart, James whispered something in Griphook's ear, which made the goblin smile evilly. Lily gave James a look that was half-mad and half-curious. James shrugged and escorted his wife and son on the cart before going on himself.

Since Hagrid's cart was in front of the Potters', he had to move first. He was a little faster than the cart Lily, Harry, and James were on. Hagrid didn't even notice that they were very far behind. "What did you say to Griphook, James?" Lily asked sternly.

"What? I only told him to make Hagrid's cart a little faster than ours," James shrugged. Lily rolled her eyes and Harry was oblivious to the conversation.

Harry craned his neck as Hagrid spun around and noticed he did look very green. He looked a little shocked that the Potters' cart was a few meters behind him, and that they didn't look uncomfortable. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the two carts stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall. Lily, Harry, and James all stepped out of the cart normally. Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.

Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold Galleons, columns of Sickles, and heaps of little bronze Knuts. Harry had never seen the inside of the trust vault before. He had seen most of the family vaults, but never the trust vault. He also knew that his father's side of the family was very rich, but he never knew they were _that _rich. James stepped in and took out all the money they needed to buy Harry's school supplies. Once James took all that he needed, Griphook closed the vault and they all went back on the carts.

"Vault seven hundred and thirteen,now, please," Hagrid said to Griphook. "and can we go more slowly?"

"One speed only," said Griphook, while giving James a discreet wink. James grinned and hoped that neither Lily or Hagrid saw the exchange. Unfortunately, Harry did. He was planning to ask his father about that later.

Harry was looking around the cart and saw something shiny under the cart. He leaned over the side to see what it was. Lily saw what Harry was doing, and she yanked him back so that he didn't fall off.

"Don't ever do that again, Harry! You might've fallen off!" Lily exclaimed, and her words echoed around them. Harry mumbled an apology. After that they finally reached the vault. Griphook went over to the door and stroke the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away. One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry was very excited now that he had money.

"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding towards Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Well, I best be off. I need a pick-me-up from the Leaky Cauldron. I hate those Gringotts carts.

So, Hagrid left the Potters after saying their goodbyes. Since it was crowded at Madam Malkin's, Lily and James opted to stay outside. He looked around for a spot to stand on. Luckily, he found one and stood next to a blonde-haired boy. Harry thought the boy looked familiar. He knew he had seen that boy from somewhere, but he just forgot how he remembered him. Hopefully the identity of the boy would come soon. He looks sort of intimidating. Harry had this strange feeling that he would be a bully when he came to Hogwarts.

"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts,too?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"My father's next door buying my books and Mother's up the street looking at wands," said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully Father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow.

Harry was reminded strongly of Dudley.

"Have _you _got your own broom?" the boy went on.

"No," said Harry. "My mum is a stickler for the rules. No matter how much my dad begs, she won't allow him to buy me a broom."

"Ah. I see," said the boy. "Play Quidditch at all?"

"Yeah. I play Seeker."

"I do too. Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree. Know what House you'll be in yet?"

Harry thought the boy was made of Slytherin material. He can tell, but if he said he wanted to be in Gryffindor, who knows what his reaction would be? It's known throughout the Wizarding World (in Britain, that is) that Gryffindor and Slytherin _didn't _get along. So he decided to pretend he was Muggle-born and not know anything about the houses. Then, he realized the major flaw in his plan, since he already told the boy he plays Quidditch when Muggle-borns were not supposed to know anything about it yet. This was going to be hard. Maybe if he pretended to have come from parents of different Houses?

"I don't know yet. My parents came from different Houses, so I don't know which one I belong in," Harry lied diplomatically.

"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been – imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

"Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.

"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry, while James and Lily were beside him eating ice cream cones.

"That's Hagrid," said Harry. The boy looked a little shocked, but dropped the subject. He then decided to ask about Harry's parents.

"They're outside. My dad told me that mum was at Eeylops to look for owl treats."

"But they were _our _kind, weren't they?"

Harry immediately understood what the boy was referring to. He asked him if they were purebloods. If he told him his dad was, he would annoy him into telling about his mum. The boy sounded like he came from a family that supported pro-pureblood laws. Telling him that his mum was muggle-born didn't seem like a good idea. "Er, you could say that," he replied, hoping that he dropped the subject. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What's your surname, anyway?"

Harry's theories were proven true. The boy _did _come from a pro-pureblood family. He sounded snobby and annoying. He chose not to answer that question. He just kept silent. After a few minutes, before Harry opened his mouth, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, my dear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the toadstool.

"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.

They bought Harry's schoolbooks at Flourish and Blotts since it was near Madam Malkin's store. Harry found countless books. There we so many books, some of them even had to be placed outside of the store. Even Dudley, who Harry now loathed thanks to the constant bullying whenever he went to his house, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Lily had to force Harry away from the Dark Arts shelves.

"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."

"Harry James Potter," Lily said in a stern tone, and Harry shivered a bit. He didn't like it when his mum would say his name like that. "We do not curse out relatives, no matter how much we hate them. If you really hate Dudley, just make voodoo dolls of him and tear his head apart."

James heard this entire conversation, and looked quite amused at his son's antics. Clearly, these were inherited from him. Although, he was quite confused as to what a voodoo doll was. He made a mental note to ask Lily about them later. Once Harry had the necessary things, they decided to go get the one last important thing Harry needed. A wand. Harry had been looking forward for this one for the entire day. Lily saw the excited look on her son's face and it reminded her of how excited _she _was when she got her Hogwarts stuff.

They headed down the road once more, this time, going to Ollivander's Wand store. It was a small place, and on the display was a wand sitting on a purple, velvet cloth. Rumors were flying around that the wand on the display belonged to Merlin himself. The Potters went inside. Since Lily was tired from all the walking, she sat down on a stool. James stood next to her, while Harry was standing alone in the middle of it all. He looked around and saw plenty of small box. Harry assumed that they contained wands. _I wonder what kind of wand I would get, _Harry thought. He was in front of the counter now, looking more and more confused as to when Mr. Ollivander showed up, when suddenly -

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped.

"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work. Ah, you're here, Lily, and you too, James! Have you been taking care of your wands?"

Lily was surprised to know that, even after all these years, Ollivander still remembered the details of her wand. She looked over to James and he had the same expression as she had. "Yes, we have, Mr. Ollivander."

Ollivander seemed satisfied with this answer, and went back to Harry.

"Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."

"Yeah, that's right, I did favor it," James said proudly. Ollivander chuckled at this statement and went back to Harry once more. He then started measuring Harry in many places. He wasn't really sure why he had to be measured. Maybe so that the wand wasn't too heavy for him or something? Once he was done, he gave Harry the first wand he was going to try. It was beechwood and dragon heartstring and was nine inches. Harry waved it and boxes crashed everywhere. Mr. Ollivander immediately snatched it from him. Lily was glad Mr. Ollivander took the wand away. She had this weird feeling in her gut that she knew what we could've happened if Harry waved it too much. He tried another one. It was maple and phoenix feather and was seven inches. Same results as the first one.

The third wand he tried was ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches. A pyramid of glass on the side on the store shattered and its pieces flew everywhere. Lily even hid behind James so that she wasn't hit with any piece. Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Lily, James, and Mr. Ollivander cheered. James cheered the loudest, since the colors represented the house of Gryffindor. There was no doubt in his mind that his son would be Sorted into Gryffindor.

Mr. Ollivander was still praising him. "Well done, Mr. Potter! Curious... curious... Harry asked him what he was talking about. Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. "As by what I have mention about your parents' wands, I remember every single wand I've ever sold. The phoenix, whose tail feather is in your wand, gave only _one _other feather. It's curious that's your destined for this wand, when it's brother gave you that scar." **(A/N: Sound familiar?)**

Harry's parents paled at these words. They were in total shock. _Harry had the same wand core as Lord Voldemort? _They exchanged a look filled with shock, unable to speak, let alone make any noise at all. They were shocked for just a few more minutes, until Harry stopped the sort of awkward moment when he swallowed.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great." Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.

With their day of shopping done, the Potters went home and spent the remaining days spending much time together until Harry went to Hogwarts. Once in a while, they went to the Burrow and played with them. Other times, Lily and James took turns teaching Harry some basic spells that they learned when they were in first year. They told Harry that his teacher usually taught this within the first week of school.

"Okay, Harry. This is the Levitation Charm," Lily said, as she, Harry and James were at the 3rd floor family room (the biggest one in the house) to practice Charms. Lily was standing with Harry near the table, while James was on the sofa watching them. They both took turns in teaching the subjects to Harry. They weren't sure if Harry inherited his mum's Charms ability, his father's Transfiguration skills, or both at the same time. "The incantation is _Wingardium Leviosa. _The way your move your arm is a swish and flick." Lily demonstrated the said movement. Harry did the same until Lily was satisfied. "Now, I want you to concentrate hard and try to levitate the feather on the table."

Harry nodded his head, stepped towards the table, and held his pointed his wand towards the feather, and, while swishing and flicking, said "_Wingardium Leviosa."_

Unexpectedly, the feather rose up slowly. Harry's parents had a shocked look on their faces. Harry set down the feather on the table and turned to look at his parents. He paled when he saw their expressions, fearing he might have done something wrong. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked fearfully.

James shook his head. "Wow, Harry. You did the Charm on your first go. Even Lily had difficulty on the first try. It wasn't until her fifth try that she got it. Maybe you got the Charms powers?"

"Not yet, James. We still need to test his Transfiguration skills." With that said, Lily sat on the sofa while James headed towards Harry with a proud smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Harry. What you did was exceptional. I wouldn't be surprised if you were the top of your class." At these words, Harry blushed slightly. He mumbled something about getting started on Transfiguration. So, Harry had to transfigure the matchstick to a needle and it was very hard work. After 10 or so tries, Harry finally got the spell.

"It's okay, Harry," Lily encouraged. "You're still in first year. You still have a long way to go. You'll be learning much more spells. For now, though, I think we should end there. We only agreed to learn the very basics."

"That's right," James interjected. "You got it after 10 tries. That's better than our other classmates before. They never even got it. In fact, those same classmates still can't do it until now."

"How is that possible? If they can't change it from a matchstick to a needle, how did they pass Transfiguration every year?" inquired Harry, confused.

"Oh, they can do the other transfigurations just fine. Like from animal to human, or thing to animal and so on, but just not from matchstick to needle."

"Umm, okay. I find that weird." Harry said and they all shared a laugh, and so ends another wonderful day. Harry got his school stuff, as well as he practiced a few spells. He was excited to show Ron what he learned.

**(A/N: if you see any grammatical errors or misspellings, I apologize. I'm only human, after all. Everyone makes mistakes. I hope you PLEASE REVIEW! :D)**


	4. Leaving for Hogwarts

August went by quickly, much to Harry's delight. On some days, he practiced spells, on others, he did nothing. He went over to Ron's house a few times. He really had fun over there. The Weasleys were like Harry's second family. Ron and Harry were very excited to go to Hogwarts and wished time sped up. Of course, both of them missed their parents, but they had to learn too. They decided to visit them during breaks.

"Mum, dad, could you tell me some of your Hogwarts days?" Harry asked his parents one night as they were sitting by the fire. His parents had laughed at this question.

"Well, Harry, our Hogwarts days were … a little different, you could say," James said. "For the first six years, your mum hated me a lot."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Lily. "I may dislike you, yes, but I never _hated _you. There's a big difference."

"Oh, right, I remember you telling me that you liked me a little before 7th year," countered James, wiggling his eyebrows at his blushing wife.

"That was only a little, though, but if you had grown up before 7th year, we could've been going out before then," said Lily.

"Please, tell me stories about your pranking days, dad!" Harry pleaded, his parents laughing at his expression.

"I could tell you a few. I've done a lot more, but there are certain stories your mother wouldn't want me to tell you,"

"That's right. It's better off that you didn't know some stories." Lily replied.

"Fine, but at least tell me the story of the funniest prank you ever did, dad"

"Ah! Now that story, I can tell you! It was in 7th year, and your mum and I were already dating for 5 months," James started. (**A/N: I'm not really good when it comes to telling stories about pranks, so if you want to, you can come up with your own story of James' funniest prank.)**

After telling the story, Harry was all over the couch laughing hard, his hands on his chest. "I…can't…breathe… laughing…too…much…" he managed to choke out. After a few more minutes of laughing too much, he finally calmed down. It was very funny to know about that prank. They exchanged more stories, some having weird couple things than the others which made Harry feel nauseated.

"Please. Don't tell me any story on your love life just yet. I don't want to know right now. It's just disgusting!" said Harry with a disgusted expression.

"You wouldn't say it's disgusting when you reach your 5th,6th,and 7th year." James said with an amused expression.

"I doubt that. It's still disgusting, no matter how old I would get!" exclaimed Harry.

"Okay, okay. Enough of this, boys. It's time for dinner," Lily said, interrupting the small argument between her two favorite men. She found this quite amusing. No matter how old James was, he still acted like a person who was still attending Hogwarts. They had had enough for today, and they had to sleep already, since it was already getting late and Harry was supposed to go to Hogwarts the next day.

Before Harry went to sleep, he escaped a few tears, since he was going to miss his home and especially his parents. He made plans to go home during the breaks, but it was a little different. He got over it though, since he knew he would have to leave to leave his parents eventually. They promised to be there, cheering him on, supporting whatever decision he made. With that in mind, he went to a peaceful sleep.

`•.¸(¨`•.• ¸.•´...×..¸.•´ ¸.•*´¨) ×

Harry woke up the next day at 5 in the morning. Once he saw that he still had 5 or so hours, he went downstairs and watched some TV. Once in a while he checked the time. At 8 in the morning, his parents came downstairs looking a little worried.

"Have you seen him, James? He's not in his room! Oh, what if he got taken?" Lily asked frantically.

"Nah, if he was taken, he would've yelled for us. I'm sure he's around somewhere," James replied, comforting his wife who was now in tears.

"Who are you looking for?" Harry asked innocently, as he approached his parents slowly and quietly.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Lily yelled. She was so loud, Harry swore she was heard by the Weasleys. Harry winced when his mum used his full name. When his mum said his full name, it meant that she was really angry. He didn't know most of the time what he should've said or did when it happened. He just tried to be as normal as possible.

"Nowhere. I was watching TV. Why?" he replied.

"You were? But the TV is not even on, otherwise I could've heard it all the way up here. You know how loud the volume is when you watch it."

"I was afraid I woke you guys up so I decreased it a bit. I'm sorry I scared you." Harry said, hugging both of his parents tightly.

"Don't worry, Harry. Just don't do something like that again, understand?" asked James in a stern tone. Harry nodded his head. "What time did you wake up, anyway?"

"I woke up at 5."

"Blimey, Harry! Are you _that _excited to leave home?" James exclaimed, not noticing the small tears forming in Harry's eyes. Lily however, noticed this and gave her son a hug once more.

"No matter what happens, Harry, just remember that we love you and that we would always be there for you, alright? No need to cry," she said, comforting him. At these words, Harry's father came over and hugged his family. After a few minutes, they let go of each other and made breakfast. At 9:30, Harry was done with the shower. All he had to do now was to wait for his parents. Once his parents were done, they made their way towards Ron's house. Both families made plans to go to the platform together. They arrived at the platform with just 45 minutes to spare.

"It's the same every year, packed with Muggles, of course."

"Now, what's the platform's number?" said Mrs. Weasley. Harry looked confused. Why did Ron's mum ask what number it was? Surely she knew it, since she dropped off her 5 oldest sons so many times.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped Ginny, Ron's younger sister. "Mum, can't I go…"

"You're not old enough Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first."

Percy nodded his head and ran towards the barrier and disappeared in a swift motion. Harry and Ron were impressed. "Mum, how did Percy do that?" Ron asked his mum. At first, Harry thought that Ron was supposed to know how to run through the barrier since he sent off his older brothers most of the time.

"It's quite simple, dear. All you have to do is run straight towards the wall," Mrs. Weasley replied. Ron opened his mouth to ask another question, but it seemed his mum knew what question he was about to ask, because she said, "No, you won't bump into the wall. The magic on the barrier disappears at least 30 minutes after the departure of the train. Fred, you next."

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," said Fred. James stifled a laugh, for he knew he was lying and was just messing with his mum. "Honestly, woman, you call yourself our mother? Can't you _tell _I'm George?"

"Sorry, George, dear."

"Only joking, I am Fred," said Fred , and off he went. James, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and George laughed at that. Lily and Mrs. Weasley both gave all of them glares. George was still laughing as he followed his twin brother through the barrier. After George, Ron ran towards the barrier, with Mrs. Weasley and Ginny running behind him. Finally, it was Harry's turn to go through the barrier. He looked at his parents nervously.

"Don't worry, Harry. We'll run with you if you want," said Lily. Harry nodded his head as he held his mum's hand as his father held his luggage. Together, the three Potters ran towards the barrier. He was in the platform in one piece. He did it! He went through the barrier without hurting himself!

Harry stood with his parents in the middle of the platform, unsure of what to do. He looked around, and saw lots of families. Some were laughing loudly, others were teary-eyed. Ron was far from Harry, and they looked like they were talking about something important.

"Now, Harry," James said, "Remember to be good, okay? But not too good, otherwise you won't have time for pranks."

Lily slapped him on the arm. "James," she said in a very stern tone, "you should set a good example for your son. Harry, don't prank all the time. You need to focus on your education, understand?"

Harry nodded his head."Are we waiting for someone?"

"Yes, we are. They said they wanted to be here with us to drop you off."

"Who are they?"

"Well, turn around!" a voice boomed behind Harry. Startled, Harry turned and was soon face to face with none other than Sirius and Remus.

"Sirius! Remus!" Harry yelled, giving them both huge hugs. Both of them smiled.

"Excited for Hogwarts, Prongs Jr.?" Sirius said. Harry frowned at the new nickname.

"Please stop calling me that, and yes I am," Harry replied.

"Well, whatever you do, don't listen to anything Prongs and Padfoot say. Listen only to Lily, okay, Harry?" said Remus. Lily laughed and James and Sirius both protested at that.

"Now, now, Moony. Harry here has to listen to me at some point. I was the other person that created him after all," James said jokingly, causing Lily to blush, Sirius and Remus laughing out loud, and Harry looking confused.

"What do you mean by that, dad?"

"Uhh… Well, this isn't really the place to explain it all," James stuttered, sending his wife a look which meant 'help'. Lily stuck out her tongue in a childish way. "I'll tell you during Christmas, okay?"

"Alright. Can you help me with my trunk, then?"

So, James and Sirius ended up carrying all of Harry's luggage, which was really heavy. It was so heavy, James thought Harry was moving to Hogwarts permanently. Harry gave both of his parents a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and also Sirius and Remus hugs. He waved to them and went inside the train, looking for a compartment for him and Ron to sit in. He immediately found one, with the words "Marauders' Compartment" printed on the door. He quickly put his things in and went back outside just in time to see his parents with their friends almost leaving. He caught up with them quickly.

"What is it, Harry? Did you forget something? The train leaves in 10 minutes," Lily said, concern etched on her face.

"I found this compartment with the words Marauders' Compartment on it. Was it yours?" Harry asked the three Marauders that were there.

"Really? It's still there?" James asked with slight excitement in his voice. Harry nodded his head enthusiastically. Sirius whooped and hollered with joy, earning a few odd looks from onlookers.

"What do you mean 'it's still there' , James? What did you do on the train?" Lily asked sternly.

"You see," Remus began, "by the time our 4th year began, everyone knew that we, the Marauders, sat in that compartment. Even you knew that, didn't you, Lily?" Lily nodded her head. "Since we always came to that compartment, we decided to put something on its door to let people know that they shouldn't take that compartment. We put a charm on a marker and wrote on it. We thought after all these years it faded, but I guess the charm's still there."

"Why did you vandalize the Hogwarts train?" Lily shrieked. James whispered something in her ear and she calmed down immediately.

"Well, why didn't you notice it the many times you visited that compartment?" Sirius interjected. He had a point right there.

"We'll discuss this later. Right now, Harry needs to be in the train or it would leave without him."

Realizing his mum was right, he darted off, waving to them once more. By the time he disappeared in the train, Lily had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, love?" James asked, concerned. Sirius and Remus surrounded her the instant James asked the question.

"It's just, they grew up so fast. I remember like it was yesterday we were watching him ride his first broomstick," she said, tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face as she remembered that day.

"I know, Lil. It happens. C'mon. Let's go your house." Remus said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. She nodded, and together, they Disapparated out of King's Cross.

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Meanwhile, in the train, Harry, Ron and Neville found a compartment to themselves. All three were hoping they were in Gryffindor house. After all, all three of their families came from the Gryffindor house. Neville once in a while went out of the compartment, looking for Trevor, his lost toad. He came back every time tired and empty handed. To cheer Neville up, they all played Exploding Snap. A few games later, the food trolley was passing by.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" the kind-looking old woman asked them.

"No thanks," said Ron. "Mum packed for me corned beef sandwiches. She always forgets I _hate _corned beef."

"Sorry," stated Neville. "I don't have money."

Harry saw his friends looking sad and wanting some of the sweets. He took out a few coins and said "We'll take three of each."

Ron and Neville looked at Harry with wide eyes as he gave the woman lots of Galleons. "You don't have to buy those for us, Harry," insisted Ron.

"No, I don't," agreed Harry, "but I want to." So, the three boys ate tons of sweets, including Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, treacle tarts, and many more.

"Hey, guys! I know this spell that could make my cat, Kneater, turn yellow! Want to see?"

Harry and Neville nodded their heads enthusiastically, wanting to see the said spell. "Sunshine daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid cat yellow!"

Harry and Neville looked at each other at the end of that spell. They understood immediately that it was Fred and George who gave it to him. Who else gave Ron dud spells? Nothing happened to Kneater, who was still as black as possible. Fred and George entered the compartment and noticed Ron hold his wand out, pointed towards Kneater.

"Ah! Ickle Ronnie! Tried out the spell, I see?" Fred –or was it George? –asked him.

"Hey! What kind of spell was that! Not a single thing happened! Not even a spark!" cried Ron, frustrated.

`•.¸(¨`•.• ¸.•´...×..¸.•´ ¸.•*´¨) ×

Soon, a girl with brown bushy hair came in to the compartment with a toad on her hands. She was already wearing her Hogwarts robes.

"Trevor! Thank you, for finding him!" Neville cried. The girl smiled and went to sit beside Neville.

"It's no problem. My name's Hermione Granger, by the way," Hermione said. The boys introduced themselves and asked what House Hermione wanted to be in.

"House? What do you mean?" she asked. They quickly realized that she was Muggle-born, so they told her everything they knew about the four Hogwarts houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. They told her about the classes, which they didn't need to when she told them she learned their course books by heart. They showed her some of the sweets they've been eating. Soon enough, it was time for them to change into their Hogwarts robes. Everyone, except Hermione, changed quickly. Soon, they arrived, and heard Hagrid's yells for the first years.

The four of them sat on a boat that took them towards the castle. When they saw the castle, they thought it looked magnificent and powerful. It was as if nothing could stop it. They entered it, and went up the stairs. Then, they saw an old-looking woman with a stern look on her face.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall and I will be your Transfiguration teacher during your seven-year stay at Hogwarts," she said. Then, she explained about the houses, and all that, and told them to wait for a while for the Sorting Ceremony to begin.

"It's true, is it? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts," said the boy Harry saw at Madam Malkin's. Whispers and murmurs suddenly emerged after that statement.

"Yeah, it's true. Why? What are _you _going to do about it?" asked Ron. Hermione rolled her eyes and continued talking to the girl next to her, whose name was Susan Bones.

"Oh. I know who you are. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe? You are most definitely a Weasley," the boy smirked.

"So? What's it to you?" asked Ron defensively. None of them noticed Hermione, who shook her head in a disapproving way.

"You need to remember that _some _wizarding families are better than others, Potter," said the boy, addressing Harry. "Oh. Have I introduced myself? Well, I am Draco Malfoy and these buffoons are Crabbe and Goyle." He thrust forward his hand for Harry to shake, but he refused, and left Malfoy looking angry and a little confused, and thus started the Potter-Malfoy hatred.

**(A/N): Sorry for not updating soon! :'( this school year is so stressful! Forgive me? Lol. I hope I can update soon :D **


	5. Author's Note :'

Dear readers,

I'm gonna stop writing this story for a while because I need to improve my grades. I recently got my report card from school and it did not meet my parents' standards (but I assure you I didn't fail, if you care) I'll bring back my grades up and I'll be back here in no time! I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'll study really hard so that I'll be back as soon as possible and bring you more chapters. You can tell I'm back once I replace this AN with the chapter of the story.

Sincerely,

Paint Splattered Canvas


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